What Happened Back Home
by LadyLarkson
Summary: A glimpse of what I thought would've happened when the castaways returned home. Set in Hartwell High.


Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN F29DWN.

Author's Note: I'm new to fan fiction, but I'm a huge fan of Flight 29 Down. This is just what I thought they should've included at the end of Hotel Tango. It's just a small glimpse of what happened when they got back, at least what I think might have happened.

**ABOUT 2 MONTHS AFTER COMING HOME**

"Hey, I'll see you guys later," said Melissa as she waved off her little group of friends. She loved them, she really did but, something was missing. She always was close to them, but after the island everything changed. They were shocked when she'd give her opinion on something, and when she went against the majority. Everyone went back to their original posse. Melissa looked around the courtyard and saw the group she was so close to on the island be separated. She felt a small tug at her heart that grew into a full out force. "I think it's time..." she smiled to herself.

Nathan was hanging out with his basketball buddies. They were commenting on how the last game went. "And did you see that dunk?" exclaimed one guy.

"Oh yeah!" said another, and they high-fived each other. Nathan and these buds went back to freshmen year. Ever since he joined basketball, these guys had always been with him. They would always talk about the games that went on and of course the cheerleaders. Nathan was smiling, but really, he wasn't truly happy. He wanted to talk about something other than just the games and how short the cheerleader's skirts were. "Um…Nathan?" said a familiar voice. He turned around and saw Melissa smiling. "Hey guys, I gotta go," excused Nathan and quickly turned around to Melissa.

"What's up, Mel?" he asked.

"I think it's time…" she replied. He smiled, and nodded. "I'll get the guys, and…" he began.

"I'll get the girls," she finished. Nathan quickly jogged to the other side of the courtyard, with a smile. It WAS about time.

"And then Eric over here, grabbed control of the plane and steered it to safety," told a guy to a group of girls. He padded Eric on the chest and continued the tall tale. Eric just smiled weakly to the group of girls in front of him. "No, he had no experience, but when going gets tough, the tough get going. And Eric here" he padded Eric on the chest again, "is tough. He knew they had to survive. Their very lives depended on it." Eric smiled as everyone looked at him. He then saw a familiar bushel of hair in the crowd and saw Nathan's face. Nathan's eyebrows rose as he heard every word of the story Eric's friend Mitch was telling. "So, ladies, Eric here, rounded up the clueless group of kids after saving everyone's life of course." The girls giggled as they looked at Eric. Eric saw Nathan rolled his eyes and smiled. The story was completely outlandish. He knew Mitch and the gang were using Eric's new found popularity to THEIR advantage. "Yeah…" Eric looked around trying to find an excuse. "Oh! Hey, I heard there were tacos at the cafeteria," he commented to the group of guys around him. "Tacos?!?" exclaimed the guys.

"Hey Mitch, why don't you take the girls for a little lunch, we can finish telling them about my heroic deeds later," he said patting Mitch on the chest.

"But, I'm getting to the good part" complained Mitch.

"Why don't you tell them over lunch? I mean, tacos and girls go together like…" Eric paused trying to find a simile that Mitch would understand, "Heather and a mini-skirt." Mitch, now being fully compelled by the tacos, and the image of Heather in a mini, broke into a large grin and nodded to Eric. "Ahh…" he replied, finally understanding. Mitch rounded up the guys and they all took the girls to the lunchroom.

"Smooth," said Nathan, approaching Eric.

"Well, I told you I'm charmed…" replied Eric, popping his collar.

"Yeah whatever," said Nathan and they both continued their journey.

"Oh. My. God! Like I went to the mall yesterday, and I saw the CUTEST pair of heels!" exclaimed Heather.

"Like, I know! The Gucci's at the mall yesterday were like, ADORABLE!" reported Chanel. Taylor Hagan sat down on the bench and listened to the ongoing conversation about the "adorable Gucci's". She rolled her eyes. Maria and Ashley were entered the conversation talking about the newest dress they saw Vanessa Anne-Hudges use. The girls started shrieking on how the sequins were so "adorable" and "cute". Taylor tried to understand, she really did, but she couldn't. She didn't see the latest fashion magazine for a while now. She was too busy studying for the history exam that happened earlier today to read that stupid stuff. She tried to think about the dress when Heather began telling in detail. She really did see it, she pictured the pink clashing with the green and the blue cover jacket and yeah it sounded nice. But, honestly, she didn't care. "Ahem," a voice said, "Sorry, but I'm going to need to take Taylor away from you guys," The four girls looked at the girl in front of them and gave her a once-over. Maria smiled and scoffed, "Excuse me?"

"I was wondering if I could take Taylor away from you guys," replied the voice, a little shy.

"You?" scoffed Ashley, "Why would Taylor want to be with you?" The girls began to burst into a fit of laughter. "Yeah," added Chanel, "No way." Melissa raised an eyebrow at Taylor as if to say, "So?" Taylor got up and said, "Yeah, ok." "Bye Girls," she waved off to them and linked arms with Melissa. Melissa grinned and they both walked away. "Thank you," whispered Taylor to Melissa. "Everyone knows pink sequins were so last year," said Taylor in a mock tone of voice Chanel used.

"Like, I know!" said Melissa, purposely squeaking at the end. They both slightly doubled over laughing and walked away from the squealing group of girls.

Jackson was under a tree, finishing up his latest reading on _Robinson Crusoe. _"Hi, my name is Sharon," greeted a brunette in a very tight shirt in front of him.

"Jackson," he said as he shook her hand.

"Ok, so, there's a party tomorrow, I wonder if you want to go," she said with full confidence.

"Thanks, but no thanks," he said simply. He saw her stiffen a bit, but then she smiled again. "Oh, ok!" she said, "but here's my address…Trust me, we'll have a lot of fun there." She handed him the piece of paper and winked at him. He looked at the scribbled words on the piece of pink paper, and when she finally left, crumpled it up and chucked it into the near trashcan. "Hi Jackson," said a high-pitched voice, "I just wanted to tell you, I'm in love with you, and I want to marry you!" Jackson looked up and saw it was Eric. "Ha ha. Very funny," he said flatly.

"Damn chief, how long has that," Eric pointed to the group of girls giggling while staring at Jackson "been going on?"

Jackson rolled his eyes and said, "Ever since word got around I was innocent with the trial and stuff…"

"Oh Jackson!" said Eric in high-pitched voice and clasped his hands together .

"Eric, lay off," said Nathan with a large smile, "We just wanted to know if you wanted to,"

"Yeah, "said Jackson, cutting in. He closed his book and slung his bag over his shoulder. "Anything to get away from," he looked over at the little group of giggling girls and shuddered. Nathan and Eric laughed at Jackson's reaction. "Come on, it can't be that bad…" assured Nathan. They walked past the group of girls and Jackson nodded his head to the brunette that talked to him just moments ago. They immediately started giggling loudly. "Ok, I take it back," said Nathan, almost bursting from laughter, "it's really bad." Eric and Nathan held their stomachs as they let out the laughter. Jackson pushed them against each other and smiled. "I missed this," he thought.

"Well, I think we should have the dance in the gym, it's all we got!" argued Hillary.

"I disagree. It's horrible! It's where sweaty jocks go hang out! I think we should do it out in the open courtyard," yelled Jamie.

"But we can adjust the temperature in there so it won't be too hot!" debated Hillary.

"Well the fresh air is good for the lungs," replied Jamie.

"If you were smart, you'd see that the gym also has a built in stereo system," insulted Hillary.

"Well, if you weren't too busy being a dictator; you'd know that the gym has basketball practice right before the dance. I don't want to be dancing on a floor covered with sweat!" complained Jamie.

"You ego-case!" insulted Hillary.

"Bird-brain!" yelled Jamie. Then the insults flew. Daley just stood there. She hated the arguments. Yeah, maybe a couple months ago, she'd be ok with it but now, she was just sick of it. The yelling, the insults, the fights, all of it. She wanted to just leave and have a normal, calm conversation. When she got back she tried to debate, she tried to bury deep down and find the aggressiveness , but then she started to actually _listen _to what both parties were saying. Sometimes one side was both wrong, sometimes both had good viewpoints, but most of the time, she just wanted them to find a compromise. But both parties never saw eye-to-eye and were too blinded by their pride to admit defeat. She rolled her eyes and sat down at the bench with her chin resting on her hands. "Psst…Daley," she heard someone whisper. She turned to her left and saw Taylor and Melissa ushering her follow them. She looked back at Jamie and Hillary fighting. She slowly inched away from the yelling duo. She then tiptoed quickly to Melissa and Taylor, hoping to be unnoticed. Then they all quickly walked away from the group. "I so owe you guys one," thanked Daley as she linked arms with Melissa.

"Well, even _I _wouldn't want to be caught between _them,_" empathized Melissa as she looked over to the two girls arguing.

"Yup, and I thought _YOU _were bossy…" remarked Taylor. Daley opened here mouth in shock but she was smiling and nudged Taylor with her shoulder. "What?" replied Taylor smiling, "I was _COMPLIMENTING you_. " The girls laughed as they turned around and saw the girls still oblivious to the fact that one person was missing from their debate. They were going all out, with large hand gestures. Taylor, Melissa, and Daley looked at each other with amazed expressions on how they were fighting about such an unimportant matter. "And to think, I used to be like them…" thought Daley aloud.

"Actually, you were worse…" remarked Taylor. Daley mock gasped again and pushed Taylor a little.

"I was…" thought Daley, "Thank goodness that's over with."

"Lex!" yelled Jackson into the group of 5th graders. They were on the other side of school now and the elementary kids were having their lunchtime too. Some kids stared at the towering high-schoolers. "Lex, you here?" yelled Eric, walking around the playground. Lex looked up and saw the three abnormally tall people in the midst of the playing crowd. He smiled to himself and walked over to the trio from the doorway. He could've went with Charlie and played a game of football, or with Mark to play Four Squares, but he'd rather be with these guys. He wasn't stuck up by choosing to hang out with high school guys then the fifth grade guys, he just…missed them…He missed Jackson, Nathan, and Eric a lot because they'd always hung out with him on the island. It wasn't like they had many options, but they did have fun. Some people had a brother, some two, but Lex was lucky, he had 3 guys he could talk to, hang out with, and just be with. "Hey," greeted Nathan as he ruffled Lex's hair.

"Hey guys, you have lunch?" he chimed in.

"Yup, come on, they're probably already waiting," said Jackson. Lex smiled to himself as the group of guys walked out of the elementary complex. "I have three brothers," he thought and took off running with the guys.

The two groups met at a lunch table near the border of the elementary, high school, and middle school complexes. "Hey, Lex!" said Melissa as she gave him a hug.

"Missed you, little guy," greeted Taylor as she ruffled his hair. Lex flicked his head and then his hair fell back into place. They all sat around the table and every single one of them was smiling. Everyone felt that all was right into the world. "So, Nathan, you going to run for president again?" asked Lex.

"Nah, I think he's fed up with losing…" said Daley smiling at Nathan.

"Hey!" exclaimed Nathan, "That was ONCE!"

"You're forgetting the Jackson election," added Taylor, addressing the time the group voted for a leader.

"Oh yeah…" said Nathan with a smile, "What I do remember is Daley calling him Johnny Depp though."

"I was just KIDDING!" she exclaimed.

"Sure…," said Nathan as he rolled his eyes. Daley pushed his shoulder with a smile. "Speaking of celebrities, you should've seen Jackson!" said Eric, "He has chicks ALL OVER him!"

"Hey, it's not my fault!" replied Jackson.

"Yeah right, chief," said Eric, switching into a high-pitched voice, "Oh Jackson! I LLLOOOVVVEEE you! Will you go out with me?" Jackson playfully punched Eric in the shoulder. Everyone broke into laughter. "Relax Melissa, he rejected them all…" added Nathan as he saw Melissa look at the ground. "I don't care…" she said smiling.

"Yeah, you haven't completely blown up on a girl talking to Jackson ever since we got back. I was beginning to think you were losing interest," added Taylor, "Luckily, I know better…" Melissa smiled at Taylor. Jackson looked at her with raised eyebrows and curious eyes. She just flashed a large grin to him and decided to change the subject. "Well, at least _I _wasn't the one saying that I 'saved us singlehandedly'," Melissa commented.

"It was MITCH!" yelled Eric, "I tell him one thing and he twists it up to another." Melissa gave him a look that said "Really?" Eric sat back down and everyone started to laugh.

"Yeah, Eric, so you going to tell us how you 'rounded up the lost group of kids' or how YOU found the underground spring and 'saved us from death by dehydration'?" added Daley. Eric opened his mouth and all that came out was, "I…I…ahhh!" Another fit of laughter ensued as Eric's frustration grew. "Relax, we're just playing around with you," said Taylor as she laid her hand on Eric's tensed arm. He immediately calmed down and sat. Everyone raised their eyebrow at the sudden show of affection. "So….seems like SOME certain people finally hooked up," commented Daley. Eric's face began to show signs of a shade of red. "Well…," he tried to speak.

"Yes," said Taylor as she wrapped her arm around Eric. "_I knew I was charmed_," Eric thought. "Jealous?" she said raising an eyebrow at Daley.

"Oh! Don't worry…," said Daley putting her hands in the air, "I already have one…" She took Nathan's hand and held it in the air. "See…" she smiled. Now, it was Nathan's turn for his cheeks to turn a slight shade redder. "_Good thing we talked about this…" _thought Daley, "_Or it would've been REALLY awkward." _Melissa smiled. she always knew the four were going to be a "thing". She didn't want to make it awkward by saying something when Daley, Nathan, Lex, Taylor, and Eric looked at the only 2 remaining teenagers of the group. Jackson looked at everyone's faces and felt them anticipating him to do something. "_Well, it's a little early," _he thought, "_But, it's now or never." _Jackson leaned over to Melissa and planted one on her cheek. "Satisfied?" he said, flatly with a hint of laughter. Everyone started to grin except Melissa. Her mouth was too busy going to in shock mode. "Did…did…did he just?" she thought. She looked over to him and he smiled. She looked away with a large blush and a smile. Soon much "ooo's" followed suit, which were lead by Eric. "Shut up, guys…" she said, with a roll of her eyes. Lex noticed an extremely slight change of cheek color on Jackson. "_I can't believe I did that…"_ thought Jackson.

"_I can't believe he did that," _thought Melissa. More conversation followed and of course it was stimulating. Nobody had to fake that they empathized. Nobody had to pretend they understood. Everything they said came out smooth and easy. It wasn't the sun shining through the cracks of clouds. It wasn't the fact that they finished all their homework at study hall. It wasn't the fact that it was Friday. It was just one simple camping trip that blended these completely different personalities together. If you looked at this group and saw all the different personalities, you'd be very confused.

"But you weren't there." They all have said this at least five times to their friends when they got home. No matter how much details and adjectives they used, nobody ever understood them. When Taylor wanted to actually study for the test, her friends looked at her as if she was an alien. Eric stopped ragging on everyone that was lower on the totem pole than he was. Last week Melissa saw five girls crowd around Jackson and just laughed at all the attention he was receiving instead of marching over there and kicking every single girls' butt like she would've a while ago . Jackson was granted visitation rights to his mom and smiled more now. (Thanks to a certain person.) Nathan stopped trying to prove that he was useful. Daley listened. Lex had a family that included 3 older brothers that would always protect him. So, what WAS this thing that connected everyone? It was one statement, one underlying thought at the back of everyone's mind that brought a wave of joy and relief to every single one of the fellow castaway's mind and body.

"_Some things never change…And thank god for that." _


End file.
